Thanksgiving
by bloodredcherries
Summary: Dawn and Jeff come to Stoneybrook for Thanksgiving.
1. Explain

**TITLE/PROMPT:** Thanksgiving I/Explain

**AUTHOR:** mkrobinson  
><strong>RATING:<strong> PG-13  
><strong>WORDS: <strong>3582  
><strong>TABLE<strong>: .#cutid1  
><strong>SUMMARY: <strong>Dawn and Jeff come home for Thanksgiving.  
><strong>WARNINGS<strong>: Any warnings and/or triggers that may be included in your fic.  
><strong>NOTES: <strong>giftfic for **imamaryanne**!

Jeff

My english teacher is making us write in our journals over thanksgiving break. I don't know why. They're all gonna be boring. So. Boring.

Dawn and I are going to Stonybrook. To visit Mom. And Richard. And Mary Anne.

Who wants to hear about that? Boring old Stonybrook with it's boring nothing. It'll be cold. Maybe it'll even snow.

I hate snow.

That's not all. Mom's pregnant, again, and that's just weird. It was bad enough to have a pregnant stepmother an' now I gotta have a pregnant mom? I bet JAB already know cuz of that stupid club Dawn an' Mary Anne are in.

I kinda wanted to be the one to tell them. I got to tell 'em about Gracie, didn't I? Stupid Mary Anne being in a stupid club with their big sister. At least they won't think it's weird. They have eight kids in their family. I hope Mom and Richard don't have eight kids.

Dawn

I wish Jeff wasn't being so awful to Mom and Richard about the baby. It isn't their fault that they wanted to have a baby of their very own. In fact I think it's a relief because maybe now I can tell Mom I'm not a **vegetarian any longer.**

Maybe she won't notice. She sometimes doesn't notice things, like that time she put her heel in the crisper.

Or the fact that Sunny has her navel pierced.

_Though she was probably choosing to ignore that, like Dad and Mrs. Bruen._

Carol thinks it's cool.

I kinda do too, not that I'd be able to admit that to Sunny, after the scene I caused when she got it.

Sunny is going to be babysitting for Gracie while we're gone. I think it will be good for her. Carol and Dad are letting her stay in my room. Her dad doesn't care.

I miss Mrs. Winslow. She'd know what to do.

She'd talk to Jeff about Mom having another baby. She'd be there for Sunny. _She'd be a mom to her, unlike Mr. Winslow, who doesn't want to be a dad. That was an awful thought. __**But I think it's true.**_

Hell, Richard knows more about poor Sunny, through the letters she sends to Mom and Mary Anne, than her own father.

I think I'll talk to Mom about Sunny visiting again over the summer. She could help with my new brother. Or sister.

"I know you're nervous, Shar, but everything will be fine. Jeff will come to terms with the news, you know he will."

"I know, Richie, it's just...I haven't seen them for months. I wasn't pregnant then. Now, I am."

"I know. Jack did offer to send them sooner-"

"And pull them out of school? I couldn't do that. Besides, I was hoping Mom and Dad would be speaking to me again, in the spirit of the holiday."

"Shar. Don't worry about it. It'll be fine."

"I know, Richie, I know. I know. I know."

"You want me to go in with you?"

"No, that's okay. You park the car. I know where to meet them."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, Shar. I love you."

Richie kissed her gently on the cheek, and she smiled, blushing lightly.

"I love you too, Richie."

"I know. I'll drive around until you get out. I don't want you having to walk very far."

"Richie! I can walk!"

"I know. I just worry, that's all. Humor me?"

He touched her abdomen, barely noticeable with her heavy jacket on, and she smiled again, nodding.

"Of course, Richie. Thank you for worrying about us."

"You're welcome."

She got out of the car and headed into the airport, bundled up for the cold (it was a particularly brisk day, after all), and she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror near the entrance, relieved that she looked relatively put together. Sure, her barrettes didn't really match, but she was wearing the same earrings and boots and she hadn't lost her gloves (poor Richie had wanted to buy her the kind with the string attached, and she was rather tempted to let him) so needless to say it was a more successful outfit than she was used to. She smiled, waking in the direction of the baggage claim. The baby kicked, and she rubbed her abdomen through her jacket. She could hardly wait to see Jeffy and Dawnie. She'd missed them so much.

She sat on a bench across from it, flipping through a magazine she'd brought. They were right on time, but she didn't want to look too desperate. The fact that it was one of Mary Anne's teen magazines made her distraction completely obvious, but she didn't really care. She was pretending to read about Cam Geary and his "romantic scandals". The boy had an unfortunate resemblance to Logan Bruno, Mary Anne's ex.

Also, he was sixteen, and sixteen year olds didn't have "romantic scandals". At least she hoped they didn't.

She sighed.

"Mom, why are you reading that? That's a girls' magazine!"

"Jeff?"

"Yeah! Dawn reads that, Mom!"

She smiled at her son, realizing that he wasn't exactly complimenting her choice of reading material.

"I'm sorry, honey. Where is your sister, anyways?"

"Over getting our luggage. Where's Richard and Mary Anne?"

"Richard is out in the garage, he wanted to give us some time alone, and Mary Anne is sitting for Kristy Thomas's stepsister."

She shuddered at the thought of Karen Brewer. Mary Anne was a near saint for putting up with her.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"What? Oh, honey, I'm fine. I missed you. Will you give me a hug?"

"I don't want to, you know..."

"Hurt me?"

"Yeah."

"It won't, honey. Don't worry about it. But I might cry if you don't."

She was only partly joking, but Jeff gave her a bear hug, so it ended up not mattering. She held him close, realizing that he'd grown since his last visit.

"Mom? I can't breathe!"

"Sorry, honey. Go help your sister with the suitcases, please."

He stuck his tongue out at her and she playfully stuck hers out in response, releasing him.

"Okay, Mom. I will. This time."

"Okay, honey. You're my good boy!"

"Moommm!"

He met up with Dawn, who looked annoyed at the fact that he'd abandoned her to give her a hug, and she walked over to them, giving her oldest child a hug and a kiss.

"Hi Dawnie. I missed you."

"I missed you too, Mom. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know what you're having yet?"

"Not yet. We have an appointment tomorrow."

"Can I come?"

"Maybe. I'll have to see."

"Thanks, Mom. Mary Anne's still at the Engles?"

"How did you know?"

"She called me earlier. Apparently Karen asked if you did spells like Aunt Tabitha."

She sighed.

"Of course she did."

Sharon said nothing when Dawnie ate a slice of the barbeque chicken pizza she ordered, bypassing the cheese and veggie pies, half figuring that her oldest had told her about her eating meat again (and it would be just like her to forget) and if she hadn't she supposed it didn't matter. She wasn't a vegetarian anymore either, and life was simpler that way. She and Richie didn't have to cook two separate meals anymore (one for the meat eaters and one for the non) and she didn't feel like such an outsider anymore. Jeff had never really been a vegetarian, especially since his return to Jack's, and it just hadn't been worth it any longer.

Mary Anne returned home as they started to eat, looking a bit weary, and she'd poured her a cup of coffee and let her sit between Dawnie and Jeff, allowing them to catch up while they ate dinner. She and Richie shared a smile, listening to the bits of gossip that the girls shared.

"No, Abby hasn't been sitting for awhile, Dawn. She goes to the Day School now, and has become their star soccer star. She and Kristy got into a fight about something, I don't know what, and we haven't really seen her since. Anna still goes to SHS, though. They have a really good orchestra...Stacey is going out with Sam Thomas again, you know, Kristy's older brother? They're on the math and debate teams together, and he's helped her with her problems with her diabetes-she ended up in the hospital, again, but supposedly they're back under control...Claudia? Well, she's in the Resource Room for a lot of her classes-they finally diagnosed her with dyslexia last year-but she's still designing her jewelry for Mrs. Spencer and we still meet once a week in her room for BSC meetings...Kristy? She's basically the same, still bossy, still sporty, and oh, don't mention Bart Taylor to her, anyone of you, that has to do with the Abby thing. She's gotten back in touch with Cody, remember him from the trip we took to visit Stacey in New York before her parents got divorced? Mallory, well, she's having some trouble back at Riverbend, so she wants to come home, but Mr. and Mrs. Pike want her to stick it out...Jessi moved to New York to dance for some company, she doesn't really keep in touch...How about your friends, Dawn?"

She saw her hesitate, and she shuddered inwardly, dreading to hear about what awful things had happened to the "Palo City Crew" (as Richie had nicknamed them).

"Well, Sunny's doing a lot better. She kinda lives with us, now. Dad and Carol let her since she's willing to watch Gracie after school while Carol works. She doesn't really talk to her dad, though, and she's in this alternative program at Vista, but she is better, a lot better than she was when she came up. Maggie's still involved with Vanish, and she's doing well, she isn't falling back into her old habits anymore. Amalia's off on her usual crusades about her "cause of the week"-I can't believe I was ever like that-but she's fine. Jill said hi, Mom, she's in one of my classes. And Ducky's okay, I guess, his parents were supposed to be back from Africa by now but they extended their stay, but he seems to be doing fine."

They all grabbed a second slice of pizza.

"Jeffy? What's new with you?"

He shrugged, concentrating on his slice.

"I dunno. Do you think that I could have Byron, Adam, and Jordan spend the night? I really missed them!"  
>"The Pike triplets? Honey, not tonight, they have school tomorrow."<p>

She could remember the Pike triplets but not that the phone bill needed to be paid. Dear Lord.

"Oh. Never mind."  
>"Some other time, okay? Maybe tomorrow."<p>

His face brightened.

"Okay! Thanks, Mom! Is it okay with you, Richard?"

Wait a minute, Jeff had called him Richard? And not Sir? She supposed that it had happened before, but she wasn't certain of it, and she was still pleasantly surprised.

"It's fine with me, Jeff. Of course your friends can sleep over."  
>"Thanks, Richard! Can I call them now?"<br>"Go ahead. You can use my office."

They all watched Jeff put his dishes in the sink, actually run some water over them, and he actually _smiled_ at Richard when he walked past him on the way to his home office. She felt sort of flustered.

"Do any of you want dessert?"

Everyone nodded-even Dawn. Dawn, wanting dessert? She was really confused now.

Fortunately, Mary Anne helped her prepare the dessert (brownies a la mode) and she took the time to whisper a few pointed questions at her.

"Dawn-"  
>"Isn't a vegetarian any longer. I guess that Jack and Carol decided not to raise Gracie as one and Dawn didn't want to put up a fuss over it."<br>"And the dessert?"  
>"She's really loosened up. I think part of it has to do with Maggie's eating disorder-she didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable if, say, Maggie wanted some candy or ice cream."<br>"Oh, okay. When did Jeff-"  
>"Stop calling Dad sir? I think it happened gradually, Sharon. Don't worry about it."<br>"Okay. Honey, you know you can-"  
>"Call you mom? I know. I just want to ask Dawn and Jeff if it's something they're okay with."<br>"That's sweet of you."  
>"Thanks. Why don't you go relax with Dad and Dawn and I'll bring these out. Okay?"<br>"You don't have to-"  
>"Please?"<br>"Okay, honey. I will."

"Oh, Mom, thank you for taking me with you! It was so cool! I didn't know we'd get to see the baby!"  
>"Honey, I told you we'd find out the sex today, what did you think was going to happen?"<br>"I didn't know what to expect!"  
>"Are you happy?"<br>"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"  
>"Do you think Jeffy will be happy?"<br>"Yeah. He doesn't think girls are gross anymore. And he's great with Gracie."  
>"That's good."<br>"Mom, do you think we could go out for lunch? Just the two of us?"  
>"Sure, honey. Mary Anne said you're not a vegetarian anymore."<p>

Dawn Schafer was incredibly glad to have Mary Anne Spier as a sister. She was so considerate to their mother, despite her occasional scatterbrainedness.

"I'm not, Mom, so we could go anywhere you wanted to. Except to a fast food joint. I'm still not a big fan of those."  
>"That's okay, Dawnie. I'm not either. Do you want to go to Pizza Express? I know we had pizza last night but I'm really craving it and please?"<br>"Of course, Mom. Of course. I don't really mind having pizza two days in a row. It's too bad Richard had to go into work."  
>"Oh, it's okay. I'm just glad Richie was able to take the morning off for my appointment. He's been so good to me, Dawnie."<br>"I know, Mom."  
>"I'm glad you and Mary Anne got us together again, honey."<br>"Me too, Mom."

Her mother was driving to the restaurant, while she was sat in the front passenger's seat, and the radio was playing softly in the background. She couldn't believe that she was getting another sister, in only a few months. Even California-jaded Dawn Read Schafer was ecstatic about it. She was, quite honestly, very grateful to be back in Stoneybrook. Palo City was exhausting. At least her friends in the BSC had nice, normal, drama. A little trouble between Abby and Kristy was nothing compared to what Sunny and Maggie had gone through. Nothing at all, and she was glad. She couldn't imagine what she'd have done if both of her homes were rife with drama.

"Honey? How is Sunny doing? What do you mean by saying she's living with your father and Carol?"  
>"She moved in a few months ago. After the trip to Stoneybrook. I didn't know what to say to you, so I didn't tell you about it. I thought it would be just temporary."<br>"But then your father-"  
>"Sunny nearly failed out, Mom! She nearly failed all her classes last year and Mr. Winslow didn't care! He wasn't even going to make her go to summer school! So Carol and Dad talked about it and she moved in-on the condition that she go to summer school, enroll in the alternative school at Vista, and help out with Gracie."<br>"And how is she? Now, I mean?"  
>"She's doing better. She's passing all her classes, and she goes to a councilor, and Dad's gonna call you about maybe flying her out with me and Jeff when you have the baby-"<br>"Okay."  
>"What?"<br>"She can come out. I'll make sure with Richie, but I say she can come out. I think some time away from Palo will do her a world of good."  
>"Thanks, Mom."<br>"I suppose I'll call your father myself and tell him..."  
>"You don't have to, Mom."<br>"Well, all right. I'd probably forget anyways."

They both giggled. It was nice that her mother could joke about being so forgetful.

They ordered their pizza, an extra-large hawaiian, and they sat down, Dawn drinking her diet soda and her mother drinking her root beer, at a quiet booth in the back. She noticed that Kristy's oldest brother was having lunch with Claudia's older sister across the room and she pointed it out, somewhat surprised to see that "Janine the genius" was dating the club's former chauffeur-though she supposed it explained his willingness to drive Kristy to meetings. She'd missed her mom, so so much.

"Mom, you had to come back, didn't you."  
>"What do you mean?"<br>"I know that Grandma and Grandpa helped you out, you know, financially after the divorce."  
>"How do you know that?"<br>"They called and told me."  
>"What?"<br>"Well, they actually called and talked to Carol, in which they presumed she was me so they let out a tirade about how ungrateful you were and told her about the money they'd given you, the job they'd found you, all sorts of things."  
>"They did what? To you-to your father's wife? Your stepmother?"<br>"Uh-huh! Dad got upset when we told him and called them and chewed them out. That's how he found out you were pregnant, by the way. I know you thought you'd forgotten you'd told him, but he only went along with that because he didn't want to upset you."  
>"Oh...that was oddly nice of him. And, yes, Dawnie, your grandparents did insist that I move back here when we got divorced, but you were not supposed to find out about it!"<br>"Mom, don't cry! I think it was incredibly brave of you to do that-especially when you fell in love with Richard again-wasn't that surprising after all those years of not seeing each other?"  
>"That wasn't entirely true. I saw Richie soon after his wife died, at a bar, on New Year's Eve, where he was with Kristy's father. And I also saw him when you were seven. It was winter. We kept in touch, sort of, after that. Christmas cards, things like that. You know?"<br>"I guess."

"You and Mary Anne were so happy to have your little project of reuniting us that we went along with it. It was actually Richie's idea. He thought it was cute."  
>"Richard?"<br>"Yeah. He's really not that bad a guy, Dawnie."  
>"I know. You two are so happy together."<br>"Yeah. We are."

She can see the pink coloring her mother's cheeks, and she can't believe she's still blushing over Richard, though it's been years since they got back together. It's actually kind of cute. It would be really cute if it wasn't her mother and stepfather.

They continued to eat their pizza.

"I've missed this place, Mom."  
>"You have?"<br>"Well, not exactly the Pizza Express, but yeah. I have. I missed you, too."  
>"I know, honey. I know. Oh!"<br>"What is it?"

Carol's pregnancy flitted through her mind, and she pulled out her cell phone, prepared to dial 911. To her relief, her mother started to giggle, and she motioned for her to come closer. She did, still concerned.

"Honey, it's alright. The baby's kicking, that's all. I want you to feel."  
>"You do?"<br>"Yeah. Please?"

She placed her hand on her mother's abdomen, relieved that nothing was wrong. In fact, she beamed as she felt a little nudge or two. That was her sister.

Her sister. Her, Mary Anne, and Jeff's sister.

It was awesome.

Jeff

Well, Stonybrook isn't that bad, I guess. Mom's been crying all the time but I think it's cuz of her "hormones"-whatever those are. She says she's happy. She got even happier once I felt the baby.

It's a girl, by the way. I wanted it to be a boy, but a girl's not bad, I guess. Gracie's pretty cool-and she likes Michael Jordan. The poster's still on her wall.

I got to tell Byron, Jordan, and Adam by myself. Mary Anne said that Mallory didn't know yet. She said something about a "sparkly vampire obsession" but I didn't really care. That's girl stuff, isn't it?

I hope this is good enough for my teacher. I wish she didn't read these.

Dawn

I can't wait for my little sister to be born! Mary Anne showed me all the things she's made for her, which is so sweet of her, and _so Mary Anne_. I can't crochet. Or knit. Or sew. But she can, and she promised to help me make something for _**our little sister.**_

I'm glad that she's doing okay. I can't help but worry. I mean, she is my mom.

And that is my baby sister inside of her.

Mom just saw this and pointed out that Richard is doing enough worrying for the both of us. I _guess_ she's right.

Richard just insisted that she let him take in the mail-I think I see her point. Now he's rubbing her belly. The baby must be up.

They're kinda cute together.

Talking to Mom about granny and pop pop and what they did made me **so mad. She's their daughter.** They should be glad that she's happy. They should care about their new granddaughter. They sent Dad and Carol gifts for Gracie.

_She's not even related to them._

It's just...I want to swear, but Mom might read this. I hate them. I hate hate hate hate them. Mom says that isn't nice, but I don't really care.


	2. Assertive

**Title/Prompt:** Thanksgiving II/Assertive

**Author:** mkrobinson

**Rating:** PG-13

**Words**: 4098

**Table:**.#cutid1

**Summary**: Dawn's third day back in Stoneybrook is not the most pleasant of days...

**Warnings**: some foul language

**Notes:** thanks to **ozqueen** for betaing this!

Dawn

I can't just let Granny and Pop Pop make fun of Mom like that. It isn't fair.

She hasn't done anything to them. Anything at all.

And they were so generous when Carol had Gracie. I thought it was a bit weird, but I didn't say anything.

Maybe I should have. I don't know. I don't know anything, anymore.

I don't know what to do.

Should I stay in Palo, with my dad, Carol, Gracie, Jeff, and all of the drama surrounding me?

Or should I come home to Mom, Richard, and Mary Anne, where things are refreshingly normal?

I really don't know what to do.

I don't.

Dawn Schafer stood on her grandparents' front porch, watching as Shannon Kilbourne's mother and Rita Porter were involved in a, well, bit of a disagreement.

"I cannot believe you made Sharry cry, Rita! She's obviously pregnant, and what do you and Charles do? You embarrass her in front of the entire country club, Charles takes the opportunity to give her a smack around, and you can't even pretend to be happy!"

There it was: her mother's hated nickname. That was weird.

Why were they arguing about her mother? Why were they arguing at all?

She moved closer, unabashedly eavesdropping.

Mrs. Kilbourne's hands were on her hips, and she looked _angry. _People never looked angry at her grandparents, not even their daughter, and Dawn suspected there was a reason for that.

"You hate Sharon, Kathleen. I don't see why you're defending her!"

"I don't hate her. Honestly, even if I did, at least I know how to behave when someone announces a pregnancy! When someone's house burns down! When someone gets remarried! You don't have your husband smack her! You don't stay in Aruba! You don't skip out on the wedding reception!"

Almost immediately, she could tell it was the wrong thing to say. Mrs. Kilbourne seemed a bit uneasy, especially when Dawn's Granny glared at her.

"_I can do what I want._ Sharon has been nothing but a disappointment."

"Why? Because she doesn't work as a secretary at Unity any more? Because she got remarried? Because she's happy? What is it, Rita? What?"

If there was one thing that Dawn had picked up on with dealing with both Granny and Pop Pop over the years, it was that they were never to be questioned.

"You don't understand!"

"Understand what? That you're behaving like a bitch? That you can't even give your only child the time of day?"

Mrs. Kilbourne cleared her throat."Because that is what I understand, Rita. This is what I understand. You are being positively awful."

She nearly shouted the rest of her sentence, her voice thick with anger.

"You're a snob, Rita!"

"Kathleen! How dare you say that to me?"

"How dare I? You've been awful to Sharon ever since she divorced Jack!"

Dawn wanted to run away. She didn't want to hear about what her grandparents had done, or how mean they'd been to her mother, or how mean they'd been to poor Richard. But she couldn't let Mrs. Kilbourne be the only one defending her mom. She just couldn't.

She wanted to cry, and she nearly did. She steeled herself, knocking loudly on the door.

She was furious.

"She never listened to me! Never! I told her that a good Porter girl stays married! And what did she do? She dumped that wonderful man and shacked up with Richard Spier!"

Dawn knocked louder.

_How could Granny say those things? How could she?_

The door opened, and Mrs. Kilbourne stood there, surveying the visitor. Dawn noticed the look of recognition, and she flashed her a bright smile.

"Oh-oh no, you're-you're-"

"Dawn Schafer. It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Kilbourne. I believe you know whom I'm here to see."

"Is Sharry-"

"Mom doesn't know where I am. She's at work. I didn't want to upset her."

"Come in."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kilbourne. Where is she?"

"In there."

Dawn stormed into the sitting room, where her grandmother sat, primly, as if she was a perfect angel, and not the same woman who'd just said all of those horrible things about her mother and Richard. As if this was a happy visit, even.

Shannon's mother waited by the door frame, obviously only staying to make sure they didn't kill each other.

"Dawn, dear, what are you-"

"Just shut up, okay? Just shut up."

"Dawn! Don't speak to me like that! I'm your grandmother!"

"You are so awful! You know, I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt! I really was! And then you said all those awful things-"

"They're all true."

"What? How can you say that? Mom and Richard have done nothing wrong!"

"Dawn-"

"Don't "Dawn" me! Oh, so you would have rather had Mom miserable once she moved back to Stoneybrook? You would have rather-"

"Richard Spier has lead your mother astray from the moment they met one another!You know that, Dawn!"

"No, I don't. You're just a bitch."

Her grandmother was speechless. Dawn turned on her heels and stalked away.

Dawn Schafer hated Rita and Charles Porter.

They were so awful.

She started to cry. It just wasn't fair.

She waked down McLelland Road, not caring that tears were falling down her face, not caring that she wasn't really appropriately dressed for the snow that had begun to fall, and, furthermore, not really paying attention to where she was going.

Unfortunately, neither was the girl with wildly curly hair who was arm in arm with a familiar looking guy. They smacked right into each other.

Dawn fell to the ground, and she recognized the person who'd bashed into her. _Abby Stevenson._

They hadn't seen each other since after her house had burned down, and Dawn didn't quite know what to expect.

"Why don't you watch where you're going, veggie freak?"

"Excuse me?"

Was that what people thought of her? That she was some kind of freak? She felt hot tears coming to her eyes.

"Aren't you going over to your little baby friend Kristy's? You can tell her that my mother would never walk in on Bart and me making out and make us stop, like she and Watson did, okay? Oh, look, you're crying. I guess Mary Anne and you are closer than I thought."

It wasn't just the harsh words that were coming from someone that she'd viewed as a friend that were causing her to be so upset, but she floundered. There was no need for Abby to be dragging her and Mary Anne into a fight between her and Kristy. Over Bart Taylor, of all the guys.

"Abigail Stevenson, you shut up!"

"Why should I? You know it's true. I bet you're going to go home and tell your mommy about this, aren't you? Or maybe you're going to be a baby and run back to your daddy in California, the second the going gets tough? Like you did in eighth grade, huh?"

"I hate you. You don't know what happened! My best friend's mother was dying, okay?"

Abby looked like she'd been punched in the gut.

"You made that up. You made that up! You knew my dad died!"

"Abigail Stevenson! Bartholomew Taylor! Just what are you two doing to Dawn Schafer?"

For the second time that day, Dawn Read Schafer was glad to see Kathleen Kilbourne.

"Putting that snot Thomas's friend into her place!"

"That's enough! You, Bartholomew, are lucky I don't call your parents, and tell them that you are harassing an innocent young woman! And you, Abigail, could do with conducting yourself with a little more composure! Do you want people to think you've gone mad?"

"She deserved it!"

"Abigail, you knocked her to the ground and insulted her! You are behaving like a boor!"

"I am not! She's Kristy's friend! She deserves it!"

Dawn stood, wanting to disappear. Across the street, David Michael and Emily Michelle were watching open mouthed, and her great-aunt and her gardening club had congregated on her front porch. Hannie Papadakis and Melody Korman were watching from their respective yards, and she couldn't blame them. Abby Stevenson was having a temper tantrum. In public.

"She doesn't deserve anything. You know, not everything is black and white, Abigail! I had a friend..." Mrs. Kilbourne trailed off, looking at her uncomfortably. She nodded, switching her tactic.

"I suggest you both go to your respective homes and think about what you did. Come on, Dawn, I'll take you home."

"No, Mrs. Kilbourne-"

"I insist. I have something I need to tell Sharry."

Her mother hated that nickname. She really did.

"Dawnie? May I come in?"

"I guess."

"Are you okay? Kathy told Richie and me that you had a bad experience at Granny and Pop Pop's..."

"I _hate _them! Granny was being so mean and she was yelling at Mrs. Kilbourne, and Mrs. Kilbourne kept saying how Granny and Pop Pop shouldn't be being so mean to you and Richard and-"

"Shush. Come 'ere, honey. I'm sorry you had to hear whatever Granny said."

"I called her a bitch, Mom. I didn't mean to, it just slipped out! Are you gonna ground me?"

"Oh, honey, no. Of course not. You're right. Granny is a bitch. Come on, why don't we lay in bed together, like we used to when you were a kid and you didn't want to sleep alone?"

"Okay, Mommy."

"Oh, sweetie..."

Sharon sank back against Dawn's mountain of pillows, pulling her eldest child close. She sighed heavily. Being a parent was tough, it really was.

"Mom, I wish Granny and Pop Pop liked Richard."

"Me too, Dawnie. Me too."

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Don't you worry."

"How's my baby sister?"

"Oh, she's fine, too. She'll probably kick in a few minutes."

"How do you know that?"

"'Cause she always does it. You're excited?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"'Cause you've already got-"

"Mom, that doesn't matter. I mean, yeah, Jeff and I have Gracie, but this is yours and Richard's baby, mom. I love her. Stop thinking that I don't. You're being silly!"

"I know, honey, I know."

Sharon kissed Dawn on the head, letting her snuggle closer, and took her hand and placed it on her abdomen, hoping the baby would kick there.

It had really been a long day. Even though she wasn't that far along, just over five months pregnant, she was really looking forward to her maternity leave. She'd been planning on taking a nap when she'd gotten home.

Unfortunately, when she'd finally come home, she'd found Jeff had invited the Pike triplets and two of their friends, Scott Danby and Shea Rodowsky, over to watch a football game on TV.

They remained oblivious to the fact that she'd been planning a nap.

Mary Anne had escaped to the library to study-Sharon didn't blame her-it was that loud.

She'd even started to contemplate _cleaning_ when Richie, Dawn, and Kathy had shown up all at once.

That had certainly been a disaster. Sharon still wasn't entirely certain what had happened.

Finally, she'd been able to relax. Richie had insisted the boys go over to the Pikes', and was likely preparing dinner for them. He was the greatest.

She and Dawnie had gone up to her bedroom for a mother-daughter chat.

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I thought you and Richard weren't gonna have any more kids."

"I know, honey, but things changed. We decided we wanted to have one."

"I'm glad."

"Me too-oh, Dawnie, did you feel that?"

"Was it the baby?"

"Yeah. I think she likes you. She knows you're her sister."

"I am her sister! Mom, she's really active."

"I know. She always is this time of day. You were too."

"I was?"

"Yeah. I think it's because you knew that your daddy was on his way home. She knows her daddy's on his way home too."

"She's silly. Richard's just downstairs."

"Yeah, but she doesn't know that. She thinks he's still at work."

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I think Granny's wrong."

"Thank you, Dawnie. I love you."

"I love you too."

She sighed, stroking her daughter's hair, wanting to take all of the pain away. She could tell it hadn't just been her grandmother that had upset her.

"You can stay here, if you want. Jack would understand."

"What about Sunny?"

"What about her?"

"If I leave, and come back here, I'm leaving her too! You don't think I haven't thought about coming back to Stoneybrook?"

No, she supposed she hadn't. She let out a sigh. "Dawnie, you should come up for the summer. Bring Sunny."

"But..."

"Please?"

"Will it be okay with Richard?"

"I'll talk to him about it, okay?"

"Okay, Mom. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Sharon sighed even louder.

Dawn was sound asleep, so she slipped out of her room, shut the door, and padded downstairs. She had a letter she needed to write.

Sure, she could call Sunny, she supposed, but if she called her she'd have to deal with her tears, and with the sounds of Jack Schafer and Paul Winslow shouting at one another, and she'd have to stop herself from getting on a plane to Los Angeles then and there, and she didn't want to do that.

Besides, Dawn was right.

Sunny was impossible to deal with, even she could see that, and she just couldn't deal. She felt guilty enough about how Sunny was dealing with Betsy's death, she really did.

For how she'd dealt with Betsy's death.

How was the two lousy weeks they'd stayed at Jack and Carol's good enough? She, at the very least, should have stayed longer. Richie and Mary Anne had had things to do back home, but she...she could have stayed.

She hadn't wanted to. Why would she, when Sunny and Dawn's new friends didn't even try to like her, let alone Richie and Mary Anne? When she didn't approve of three fourteen-year-old girls hanging out all the time with a seventeen-year-old _man?_ Sure, she'd rebelled, but nothing like that. That was weird.

Though she supposed people had thought she and Richie dating was weird too.

She felt like a hypocrite if she disapproved.

Dawn hadn't shown up for dinner (Mom had said she'd been sleeping soundly), and so Mary Anne had decided to stop by her sister's room, to see if she was awake.

She was.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really, Mary Anne. You know what Sunny's like."

"I know that I'm worried about her. She's my friend, too, and I thought she was getting better."

"Over the summer? She was, she really was, but she's still seeing Ducky-"

"Why? Doesn't she know she's not ready for a relationship like that? It's barely been a year since her mother died. Does he take advantage of her?"

"She says it's mutual, but-"

"I know she's sleeping with him. She told me. I don't think that's a great idea."

"It's not just Sunny, Mary Anne. I went to see Granny today. To ask her why she'd been so mean to Mom. She was just awful!"

"I'm sorry, Dawn. So sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"I know. I still feel bad, though."

"I wish she'd just apologize to Mom, you know? It really isn't fair. I hate how she won't give Richard a chance."

"I know, Dawn. I know. Do you want to come downstairs and have dinner? I haven't eaten yet."

"Where were you?"

"With Stacey, studying at the library. The triplets and their friends were a bit annoying."

"Is Stacey here?"

"No. She went home. She has to babysit Charlotte tonight. Come on, Dad made lasagna. M-Sharon"

"You can call her mom. It's fine. It makes her happy that you consider her one, Mary Anne. I don't mind."

"Okay. Mom said that it was delicious."

Dawn looked slightly dubious, and she knew that she was likely imagining some of the bizarre food combinations she'd seen Sharon eat over the past couple days. She shrugged.

"Let's go have some then."

Mary Anne watched Dawn walk out of her bedroom and she quickly followed, Tigger at her heels. She ran her hands through her shoulder length hair, catching a quick glance in the hallway mirror as she walked down the stairs. Her sister made a detour into the living room and kissed their mother on the cheek, pulling her into a hug before hugging her father, who returned the gesture with a smile. Both of them turned their attention to the evening news, where Mimi Snowden was giving a report on the recent wave of crime in Howard Township. The two sisters went into the kitchen and reheated their meal, sitting at the kitchen table while they ate their salad. The lasagna, her father's specialty, would be positively delicious when it was hot.

Over the course of her father's marriage to Sharon, Mary Anne had slowly began to think of her as her mother, and not just as her stepmother. She had no recollection of her real mother, not even vague memories, and, besides, Sharon was there for a lot of things. She'd gotten her father to be happy again (Mary Anne had never thought _that _would happen, not that she didn't make him happy, but something, someone, had been missing), she'd been there for all her breakups with Logan (he was currently dating Cokie, who sort of deserved him), she'd been the one that had held them together during the aftermath of the fire, and she was giving her (and Jeff and Dawn) a younger sister.

It had begun to make sense to her that Sharon was more than a stepmother to her, and calling her mom had just came naturally.

Mary Anne had assumed it would upset Dawn and Jeff, but Dawn had given her a big hug and Jeff had just shrugged.

Mary Anne stopped her daydreaming and focused on their topic of conversation: Sunny.

"Why doesn't she move out to Atlanta?"

"Because she doesn't want to. And the deal was was that she had to pass her classes at Vista. She did. Mr. Winslow's sister knows nothing about her relationship with Ducky."

"Do Carol and Jack know?"

"Yeah. They have rules for her, but he convinces her to flout them, I think. What does she tell you?"

"She doesn't hold much back. She seems to think that your dad only let her move in with him because he feels guilty-"

"Dad doesn't feel guilty. He feels like a dumbass because Mom knew Ducky was dating Sunny-he thought he was gay."

"Was that what they were arguing about at Mrs. Winslow's wake?"

"Yeah. I don't blame her for disliking him. I don't."

Dawn paused, as their mother peeked in. "Hi Mom, you want to come join us?"

Sharon Spier joined them at the table, helping herself to a bowl of salad.

"What are my girls going to do while they're both on break?"

Mary Anne spoke. "I've gotten Kristy to take my jobs at the Engles'. Mr. and Mrs. Engle weren't very happy, but I wasn't going to spend the two weeks that Dawn's home babysitting for Karen. I was thinking that tomorrow we could go to the movies?"

"That sounds good. We could see My Week With Marilyn," Dawn said, and Mary Anne was pleasantly surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks! Mom and Dad said we could have our friends over for dinner tomorrow. Jeff said he was bringing the triplets, but I was wondering if you wanted me to invite everyone?"

"Who's everyone?"

"Stacey, Claud, Kristy, maybe Shannon?"

"That sounds good. It will be good to see everyone again," replied Dawn.

The fact that everyone had, not too long ago, included more than those four people, went unspoken as they ate their lasagna, though mostly because she and Dawn were both hungry.

Sharon spoke, taking a bite of her salad.

"I don't understand, what happened to your club?"

"People change, Mom. Abby and Kristy hate each other, Jessi's busy with her ballet, Mallory's in boarding school, and Logan doesn't want to be in a stupid sitting club, especially now that he's dating Cokie. You put a bunch of people that really have nothing in common together to babysit, it's no surprise that at some point things fall apart."

"Jeff said that Mallory's home."

"Yeah, for her break. It's different for Dawn, because she's a bit older, and the parents we sit for trust her. It's not that they wouldn't trust Mal, it's just that everyone else in the club's in high school now-"

She paused, sensing that she was quickly losing their mother's interest. When Sharon stopped reading the back of the bottle of salad dressing, she continued.

"-We tried to give Mallory some sitting jobs, but it was worse than our experiment with Jeff and the triplets. I guess people don't want an eighth grader baby sitting for their kids when they could have a high schooler. And add in the fact that she's away in Massachusetts most of the year-Dawn had two years of sitting before she moved, Mal had less than one."

Once they'd made it to high school, the BSC had switched to a more streamlined model, one that even Kristy had approved of.

Besides, she had tried to stay friends with Mallory and Jessi, but graduating from middle school had made her encounters with the latter next to none and the former kept sending her links to her _Twilight_ fan fiction and demanding she read them. Mary Anne hated _Twilight_. She much preferred _Harry Potter_.

"...Oh...Dawnie, are you planning on doing any sitting while you're home?"

"Probably not. I'm not really sure."

"Well, okay, honey. I might take some time off work to spend with you three."

"You think Jeff wants to spend time with us?"

Their mother smiled, sipping her glass of water.

"Probably not, honey. I might make him, though."

"Mom!"

"What? Your father and I don't pay for him to fly cross-country so he can spend all his time at the Pikes!"

"I know."

"I'll just threaten to cry. I think he's scared of my hormones."

The telephone rang, and Mary Anne answered it, unsurprised that Kristy was on the other end of the line.

"How did your sitting job go?"

"Awful. Lisa and Seth had Nancy Dawes's mother spying on us the entire time."

"How do you know?"

"Karen pointed it out. I don't understand why her mother has to constantly screw with the custody arrangements. Did you know she doesn't want us to have Karen and Andrew every other month now? She says that Mom and Watson are too lenient with them. I think that's ridiculous."

"Kristy, it's not right of the Engles to say that to you. You're just a kid."

"I know."

"Come over tomorrow night. Mom and Dad are letting me, Dawn, and Jeff invite our friends over. It'll be a good distraction."

"If it isn't any trouble-"

"It isn't. You can help corral the Pike triplets."

Kristy laughed.

"I have to go, Mary Anne. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, Kristy. Bye."

She returned the phone to its base, sitting back down. Dawn had her hand on their mother's stomach, obviously feeling the baby kick. Much to her surprise, Sharon reached for her hand and pressed it next to Dawn's smiling brightly at them. Mary Anne smiled back, and they felt the baby kick.

Sharon spoke, breaking the silence.

"You know, you don't have to be so shy, Mary Anne. You can feel for the baby. She's your sister too."

"I know. I don't want to upset you, that's all."

"It doesn't upset me. I like having you feel. Don't worry about it."

Dawn spoke up. "Yeah, Mary Anne. Someone's got to keep the baby company while Jeff and I are back in Palo. It should be you. You're her other older sister."

"I know-"

"I hope you do, 'cause I mean it."

"I know you do."

She wished, rather desperately, that Dawn and Jeff didn't have to return to Palo City, but she knew it wasn't possible.

"Mom said I can come back for Christmas and February and Spring breaks, Mary Anne. Won't that be fun?"

"Yeah. Are you going to?"

"Of course. I might even bring Sunny, if Richard says it's okay."

"That would be nice. I worry about her."

Sharon usually told her not to worry so much, but she didn't say a word. Mary Anne thought that was a bit weird.

"Everyone does, Mary Anne."


	3. Excited

Title/Prompt: Thanksgiving III/Excited

Author: mkrobinson

Rating: PG-13

Words: 3058

**Table:**.#cutid1

Summary: Sharon has a lot of little chats with the _overprotective_ people in her life.

Warnings:

Notes: Thanks to **ozqueen** for betaing this!

Jeff

Me and my friends watched a football game at Mom and Richard's.

Apparently we were a little loud.

My stepsister had to do her homework at the library.

My mom kept glaring at us - I think she wanted us to leave, or something.

I don't know.

Stonybrook is too cold. It was even snowing out! I hate the snow.

It's cold and wet and miserable.

Stonybrook's okay, I guess.

It makes my Mom happy when Dawn and I visit.

She "misses us".

Yeah, she misses us now, but I bet she won't once the baby's here.

She'll have Mary Anne, Richard, and the baby in stupid stupid Stonybrook all the time.

She won't need us any more.

Will she?

"Jeffy? Are you mad at me?" Sharon asked, pausing in front of the closed door to her son's room, waiting for a response.

"You wouldn't understand!" Jeff answered, sounding like he'd been crying.

"Honey? I'm coming in, okay?"

She opened the door and slipped into Jeff's room, perching on the edge of his bed, while he resolutely pretended to be asleep. She let out a sigh. Much to her surprise, he sat up, tears staining his cheeks.

"You're just gonna forget about us!"

"Jeffrey! What are you talking about?"

"When the baby's born. You're just gonna forget about me and Dawn 'cause you'll have a whole family here in Stoneybrook!"

"That isn't true, and you know it. Did your father forget about you two when Carol had her baby?"

"We _live _with them!"

"Yes, but they could have decided to send you two over here, to live with me, and just focused on their new baby. But did they?"

He shook his head, staring down at his lap. "No. They didn't."

"Honey, I won't love any of you any less when the baby comes, you know that. You shouldn't worry about that, Jeffy."

"I know. I can't help it, though. You're my mom. You're not supposed to have babies and be pregnant!"

She snorted, trying not to laugh. "How on earth do you think you and your sister got here? A stork?"

"Yeah – I mean, no, but.."

"You're a bit embarrassed?"

"It's not that, it's just _weird_."

"Oh, Jeffy... I understand. I really do."

He looked wary, and a bit uncertain. "You do? Really?"

"Yeah. It's okay if you think it's weird that I'm pregnant. I just don't want you to be mad at me."

"Why would I be mad at you? I don't mind having a little sister! I just don't want you to forget about me and Dawn."

"And I won't. I promise, honey."

"Okay. Can I help name the baby?"

Sharon paused, trying to formulate an answer. _Could Jeff help name the baby? _She supposed he could, at least a little bit, and if it made him happy...

"You can help me and Richard name her, okay? All of you can."

"Really?"

He actually looked excited, and she smiled at him.

"Yeah. Of course. But we get the final say."

Much to her surprise, Sharon found herself being enveloped in a hug by Jeff, and she hugged him back, not wanting to ruin the moment. She'd been afraid of his reaction to her pregnancy for awhile, and she felt just awful that it had made him cry. And that he'd thought she wouldn't care about him and Dawnie anymore, which was far from the truth.

Of course she'd still care about them. They were still her babies, even though they hadn't been babies for awhile and even though they lived clear across the country.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" Jeff asked, a worried look coming over his face.

"Oh, honey, no. You're not. Don't worry about it."

"What about my sister?"

"What about her?"

"I'm not hugging you too tightly?" he asked, releasing her. She smiled.

"Aw, no, Jeffy. You're not. Come here, you want to try to see if your sister will kick for you?"

He nodded, "Do you think she will?"

"Yeah."

"Cool!" he said, as he offered her his hand, "I wanna try. I'm her big brother! Her only one!"

"I know you are," she said, as she laid his hand on her abdomen, "and you're very special to her. Whenever you're in Stoneybrook, you've got to protect her, like you do Gracie. You promise you will?"

"Yeah, Mom. I promise."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Jeffy. You're the best."

"I thought Richard was the best," he said with an impish grin. She smiled back.

"_Jeffy,_ you knew what I meant!"

"I know, Mom, I know."

She moved his hand to where the baby had just nudged, and she pressed down, getting her to kick harder for her only brother.

"Did you feel that?" Sharon asked, as the baby kicked again. She stared down at her little bump, smiling to herself. _That was her baby kicking. Her and Richie's baby. _She felt a bit silly, being so excited over the same exact things she'd experienced during her pregnancies with Dawn and then Jeff, but she couldn't help it. She really couldn't.

Richie had told her she was positively adorable, and she liked that. Even though he'd made her blush by saying it in front of some of her colleagues.

Apparently _that had _made her even more adorable to him.

Jeff spoke, drawing her out of her daydream. "Yeah, Mom, I did. Am I doing something wrong?"

"No, why?"

"'Cause she keeps kickin', that's all," he explained, moving his hand over her belly, "I wanna make sure that that's okay."

"Oh, sweetie, it's fine. She's just playing with you."

"She _is_?"

"Yeah. You're her big brother. She likes you. She's just having fun."

"She is? With me?"

"Yes, with you! Don't worry, Jeffy, I won't make you feel in front of your friends, I-"

He cut her off, blushing lightly. "I don't care. I'm not ashamed of my sister. I'm gonna miss her when Dawn and I go back to Palo."

Her son's innocent remark reminded her that she had yet to compose her letter to Sunny, and she bit back a sigh. She didn't really want to write to her, after all. Sunny was, well, a bit reckless, and though it was slightly hypocritical of her to feel that her boyfriend was unsuitable, well, she couldn't help thinking that way.

Sunny was fifteen, barely, and Ducky was eighteen. She was pretty sure that it was slightly illegal for them to be dating.

At least with her and Richie it had simply been a class difference, not one based on age.

She exhaled, refocusing her attention on Jeff. "I know you will, honey. But you'll be back soon. Besides, you still have eleven days left."

"I know..."

"Jeffy, you wouldn't be happy here. The novelty of your sister would wear off and you'd just be miserable."

"...I know."

"I'd much rather you be happy."

"I know."

"So, tell me, how is Gracie?"

She knew that Jeff loved his little sister, and, truthfully, she was happy for Carol and Jack, (hard as that was for most people to believe).

Sure, it was a bit unorthodox, but really, was it that shocking that being clear across the country from one another had mellowed things out between them? The occasional emails that they sent with pictures of Dawn, Jeff, and little Gracie were actually sweet, and Mary Anne (and all the other girls that had traveled to Palo City over the summer) had mentioned how sweet her son was to the little baby.

He beamed, moving his hands to another spot on her belly. "She's great, Mom! She's learning how to talk 'n stuff, and she's trying to walk, and she loves me. Dad said that I have to be a positive influence for her."

"He's right," she replied, "I know you'll do a great job. You gonna teach both your sisters about basketball?"

"Yeah!"

She kissed him on the cheek.

"You're the best, Jeffy. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Mom. You wanna watch some TV together?"

"Sure."

"Mom, time to wake up."

"Huh? Oh, hi, Dawnie. What are you doing home? I thought you and Mary Anne went to the movies."

"We did." Dawn said, shedding her coat on the couch beside her mother, whom she'd rudely awoken."We just got back, and Jeff said you'd fallen asleep five minutes into the first quarter. We were wondering if you wanted some cocoa."

"You're having cocoa? You?"

"You don't have to sound so shocked," she said, kissing her on the cheek."I'm not some sort of veggie freak any longer."

The comment by Abby Stevenson had indeed stung, and the bitterness that Dawn felt towards her seeped through to her voice.

"Dawnie?"

"Yeah?"

"Who called you that? Was it your grandmother?"

"No, it was Abby Stevenson. I didn't tell you this yesterday, because I was so upset, but we got into a fight after I left Granny's."

She let her mother wrap her arms around her, holding her tightly, and she began to sob. Why was everything so difficult? Why? Was it just a part of growing up?

"Honey, you're not a freak," she said, rocking her back and forth, "you're a teenager. You might have been a bit, well, overzealous with some of your causes, but you're certainly not a freak."

"You mean it?"

"Of course I do. Your father thought I was the oddest person around because I belonged to the UCLA Young Republicans group, okay?"

"Dad? Why?"

"Because he was a hippie!" she paused, "Well, not a hippie, exactly, but he was certainly a bit more liberal than I was."

"So basically you're saying that I shouldn't let Abby bother me?"

"Exactly."

"Okay, Mommy," Dawn whispered, wishing she was a little kid again. "I believe you. I love you, Mommy."

"Oh, Dawnie..." Her mother stroked her hair as she spoke. "You shouldn't worry so much. Why don't you take a nap with me?"

"Another nap?"

She didn't really want to sleep, and she pouted at her mother.

"Or we could just relax? That cocoa actually sounds wonderful."

"Okay, Mom," she said, sitting up."I'll go get us some."

"Can I have extra marshmallows?"

"Sure, Mom. Anything for my little sister."

Dawn headed into the kitchen and prepared the two mugs of hot cocoa, making sure to put a lot of marshmallows in her mother's. She only put a couple in hers (she still wasn't a big fan of all that sugar, all at once), and she carried them out to the living room, relieved that her mother had turned off ESPN.

Personally, she thought sports were so boring.

Jeff, of course, loved them.

Sharon sipped her drink, "Speaking of younger sisters, where's Mary Anne?"

"She went with Sam and Stacey to Kristy's house. I guess her sitting job went poorly, again."

"I feel bad for Karen," Sharon said, eating a marshmallow. "I don't particularly enjoy her company, but her stepfather was a real jerk while we were in high school together._Seth Engle._ He was a grade below us, but he was part of the group that made fun of Richie so much."

"Was he really?"

"Yeah. I don't think he's changed much."

The fact that her stepfather had been bullied at high school surprised her. Richard was just so nice.

"Why did they bully him, Mom?"

"Oh, you know, because they thought he was different." She took a sip of her cocoa. "They were just awful to him. Don't ask him about it, honey. He doesn't like to talk about it."

"I won't, Mom."

"Thanks, Dawnie. Oh, hi, there. Your big sister's back home, so you've decided to kick?"

"Can I feel?"

"Of course, Dawnie."

Dawn laid her hands on her mother's abdomen and felt the baby kick, a wide grin coming to her face. She loved feeling her sister kick. It was really cool.

"When we come back for Christmas break, you'll be how far along?"

She curled up next to her mother while she waited for the answer.

"Six months, sweetie."

The baby kicked, as if she was agreeing. Dawn smiled.

"And for February break?"

"Nearly eight months, sweetie. Your father said he'd arrange with Vista for you and Jeffy to get some time off school to come visit when the baby's born."

"He did?"

"Yeah. He said that you'd be too excited to concentrate on your studies anyways."

"He's right, Mom."

"I know he is. You do realize that you using my abdomen as a pillow makes your sister incredibly active, right?"

She knew, but she faked an innocent grin.

"Does it? Do you mind?"

"Oh, no, sweetie. Go right ahead."

"Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome."

"Mom?" she asked, looking up at her. "Is Jeff happy about the baby now?"

"Yeah," she replied, "we talked about it, and he seems to be."

"Good. I'm glad."

"I know you are. I am too. You, he, and Mary Anne can all help us pick out a name, okay?"

"Really?"

"Yeah..." She trailed off, and Dawn wondered just what she was thinking of. "Just promise me it won't be something like Clover?"

"Mom! I thought you liked that name!"

Dawn was only pretending to be offended.

"Of course I told Jenny that," she said, shrugging innocently. "What was I supposed to say? That I'd hated it?"

"Mom, you named me _Dawn_!"

"Dawn is a pretty name!"

"I'm only teasing you, Mom," she paused, smiling innocently, "how about Daffodil?"

"Dawnie!"

***

"Are you sure you feel up to paying host to a bunch of teenagers tonight, Shar?"

"_Richie, for the thousandth time, yes_. We're ordering Chinese takeout and I promise that I won't lift a finger, but I am fine."

"You probably think I'm overreacting, don't you?"

"_Richie, no. _I think you're being so sweet."

"You do?"

"Yes. I do. I don't mind you worrying about me."

"You promise I'm not becoming ridiculously overprotective?"

"Oh, Richie, no. I don't think you're being ridiculously overprotective. I _promise_." She paused, kissing him on the lips, before continuing her sentence. "I understand that you worry, and I don't blame you for worrying, and I kind of like it. Okay? If you were bothering me, I'd let you know."

"You would?"

"Yes," she promised, sitting beside him on their bed. "I would. But I don't mind you being concerned, or protective, or any of this."

Richard Spier let his wife undo his tie (though he was a bit grateful she left it on the bed and not on the floor), and he gently kissed her on the lips, wishing he wasn't so darn nervous about the whole pregnancy thing. He knew that he was being irrational, and he hated it.

Richard liked being a rational person.

Sharon, she could be the irrational one, and he was content to bring her back down to earth.

"I can't help it," he continued. "I can't help thinking of Alma, and..."

"Honey, I know. I know," she said, leaning against him, "that you're just being concerned. It's okay. But you could do with remembering that I was pregnant _twice _before, and I'm still here, aren't I?"

"I know..."

"...It doesn't really matter. I think you're being sweet, Richie. I really do."

"You do?"

He thought that he was being fairly ridiculous, but if Sharon thought he was being sweet, well, he certainly didn't want to stop her from that. She nodded, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

He loved her so much. He didn't want to lose her.

"Yeah. Who wouldn't?" she responded, shifting closer to him. "You're being so sweet, Richie, and I really appreciate it."

"You...you do?"

"Yeah. Come on, Richie, you know I'd tell you the truth. I wouldn't lie to you."

"I know."

"I know you know. You're just being your usual worrywart self and that's what I've always loved about you, Richie."

She kissed him again.

"I suppose you're right, Shar." He slipped off his dress shoes, briefly letting her go to slip out of his suit jacket. "And I am glad you're pregnant. You make it look so easy."

"I do? Oh, Richie..."

"What?"

"Nothing. You're just cute, that's all."

He managed a chuckle. "You're pretty cute yourself, Shar."

Sharon blushed and he leaned in to kiss her, working his hands through her thick blonde hair, hoping that their bedroom door was closed. It wasn't like he was planning on doing anything too risque, he just didn't relish Jeff or the girls wandering past and seeing them making out.

Marrying Sharon had loosened him up a bit, but certainly not that much.

She pulled away from him, smiling slightly, and he let her take his hand and place it on her abdomen, where their baby was kicking. He grinned at her, kissing her on the forehead.

"She's kicking for you, you know that, right?"

"I know, Shar, I know." He cleared his throat, gently massaging her abdomen, trying to make the baby kick more. Their daughter obliged. "She is rather active, isn't she?"

Sharon giggled, nodding. "Yeah. Especially when you're around."

"Really?" he asked, moving his hand to another spot on her abdomen to see if their baby would move there. "Does it bother you?"

"Oh, no, it doesn't bother me. Not at all." Her eyes met his, and she stared at him while she continued speaking. "I'm glad that she kicks for you. And I'm glad that you're so happy about this, Richie. I am."

"I know you are. I'm sorry your parents are being so awful, Sh-"

"Don't be. It's not your fault that they haven't changed since we were teenagers. I don't really care what they think, anyways. We're happy, and that's all that matters to me. I promise."

"I believe you, Shar, I just wish that they'd-"

"It won't happen, Richie. I know it won't. I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

He felt just awful for accidentally upsetting her, and he pulled her close, smoothing her hair. "I'm sorry I mentioned it, honey."

"It's okay."

He felt it wasn't, but she didn't look so upset any more, so he gently kissed her, hoping that was enough.

"I am sorry."

She smiled. "I know."


	4. Want

Dawn

I told Mom I wanted to come home.

I was honest with her.

She said I could.

I want to, so badly.

I can't wait until I really can.

* * *

><p>"Are they gone?" Mary Anne asked him, emerging from the downstairs bathroom. "I was a bit afraid of Dad's tirade."<p>

Jeff nodded, staring out the window. "He wasn't yelling at you. He's mad at Granny and Pop Pop."

"I know."

"He an' Dawn went upstairs to check on Mom, I think," he continued, turning to face her. "You okay? You've been crying."

"I _told_ you," she replied in a whisper. "They upset me when they started to yell."

Jeff stared, and he crossed the room to his sister, half wanting to hug her.

"They weren't yellin' at you," he reminded her. "They're mad at Mom and Richard, not at you. You shouldn't be crying about it."

"I know," she answered. "I'm gonna go see Mom."

He stared at her – specifically at her tear-stained face – and he knew he had to stop her. He sighed.

"Come on, Mary Anne," he said, gesturing to the table, still laden with food. "Richard would probably be happier with us if we did some of the clean up."

It was a sacrifice – after all, Jeff was not a fan of cleaning, and his stepfather had a rather pedantic organization system – but a needed one. The last thing he wanted was more irritating crying going on.

"You'll help me?"

"Yeah. Then we'll see Mom."

"Do you think she's okay?" Her voice was so soft it was nearly a whisper, and he actually felt bad for inwardly mocking her sensitivity at every turn. He sighed.

"Yeah. Your dad's taking real good care of her." He touched her on the shoulder. "You think that if he thought there was a chance of something being wrong with her or the baby he wouldn't be driving her to the hospital right now himself?"

She nodded, and he heard her snort. "He'd probably interrupt the Johanssens' dinner and make Dr. Johanssen do a house call – despite her not being an obstetrician."

"See?" Jeff said, trying not to laugh. "Your dad worries so much about mom that it's totally ridiculous, but the fact that he _isn't_ worrying now should make you feel better." He stopped putting the food in the fridge to look at her. "Your dad was awesome, by the way. He freaked at Granny and Pop Pop the second Mom looked upset. When she and Dawn started to _cry_ he kicked 'em out. No one's _ever_ done that."

"He hates them," she admitted slowly. "Like really hates them. You really think he's awesome?"

"Yeah," Jeff said, simply, and she gave him a bear hug. "He defended my mom – our mom – " he hastily amended " – against her parents."

"They were the ones who scared me," he heard her whisper.

"They scare everyone. Don't worry about that." He replied, because it was true. "It's what they do."

Normally, Jeff would have cracked a joke to relieve some of the tension, but even he couldn't.

"I'm not a baby?"

"Nah."

She released him, smiling up at him.

Mary Anne was still ridiculously short. He was twelve and he was taller than her.

"Thanks, Jeff. Can we go see Mom now?"

"Yeah."

Mary Anne grinned at him and he followed her upstairs. He just hoped that Dawn had stopped crying and that his mom wouldn't _start_ crying and that Mary Anne wouldn't burst into tears. He was starting to suspect that goal was too much to hope for.

* * *

><p>Much to his relief, Mary Anne didn't become a gusher, Dawn was flipping through a gardening catalog (he didn't want to know), and their mom was being completely disgusting and cuddling with Richard, but at least that was better than tears.<p>

"We put the food away," he announced, causing his middle sister to blush and his mother to stare at him and then at his stepfather in confusion – or more aptly shock. "Why are you looking at me like that, Mom?"

"Richie," she murmured, "you were that worried about me?"

Richard nodded. "Of course, Shar. You were upset. The food didn't matter."

Still, the fact that he'd relaxed slightly due to the announcement meant he hadn't forgotten about it completely.

"I love you, too, Richie. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Shar."

Jeff perched on the edge of their bed, a bit annoyed that neither Dawn nor Mary Anne had moved for him.

"Are Granny and Pop Pop still here?" Dawn asked, and he shook his head.

"They _aren't_?" His mother chimed in. "You and Mary Anne got them to _leave_?"

"Nah," he answered. "Richard did."

"You did, Richie?"

He cleared his throat. "I may have – "

"Mom, it was awesome. Richard told 'em off. After you and Dawn went upstairs he flipped at 'em. Then he told 'em to get out of your house and they _actually left_." He turned to his stepfather, a bit incredulous that he hadn't told his mother what had happened. "It was cool."

"Richie, you did that?"

"I did," he confirmed, looking fairly embarrassed.

"Thank you," she said, having the nerve to kiss him in front of the three of them.

Dawn kicked Jeff as he started to play gag, and he glared at her.

"Be. Nice."

* * *

><p>"Olivia," Sharon heard her son announce the next morning over breakfast.<p>

"Hmm," she replied, a questioning tone in her voice. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"That's the _name_ I picked," he replied. "You know, for the baby?"

Richard put down his newspaper and he shot her a confused look. "_Our_ baby?"

Jeff nodded.

"Yes," she replied, sitting down beside her husband. "I told the kids they could help name her. Olivia is a pretty name, Jeffy."

She gave her Richie a kiss on the cheek, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "You don't mind, do you, honey? They asked, and I wanted them to feel included..."

He reached out to rub her abdomen, the slight smile that graced his face growing as he felt their baby kick.

"Olivia is a nice name, Jeff," he said. "What do your sisters think?"

Jeff shrugged at the question, eating a pancake. "Dunno. I wanted to make sure you and Mom were okay with the name first."

She looked at Richard, nodding slightly at him, and he nodded back.

"We like it, honey," she said, grinning at him.

"Cool! Can I tell Mary Anne and Dawn?"

Sharon eyed the clock. "It's only 9," she answered. "Eat your pancakes, honey. When they wake up you can tell them."

Jeff shot her a disappointed look, but he dug in anyways.

She started to eat, noticing how Richie's hand stayed on her abdomen the whole time, no matter how much their baby girl kicked. And she sure kicked a lot.

"Thank you," she whispered, not exactly sure what she was thanking him for. "For making me pancakes and for yelling at my parents last night," she settled on, beaming widely.

"Oh, Shar," he murmured. "You're welcome. You don't have to thank me, though."

"Yes I do," she insisted. "You defended me. And you made me chocolate chip pancakes."

She couldn't help it if her arguments weren't the best at nine in the morning when her medication hadn't kicked in.

Her son snorted and she rolled her eyes. "You're eating them too."

"Of course I am," he replied. "What else would I eat, the honey wheat puffs? Thank you for making the pancakes, Richard. They taste good."

"You're welcome, Jeff."

"Can I have the sports section? Please?"

"Sure," he replied, sliding it across the table.

"Thanks."

Sharon beamed, happy that they were getting along.

* * *

><p>"Merow?"<p>

She looked over to see that Mary Anne (who had not been meowing, that was Tigger) and Dawn had woken up and joined them in the dining room. She smiled at them. Mary Anne walked into the kitchen to feed the cat and Dawn stood there, looking half awake. Jeff made no effort to greet his sisters.

"Did you sleep well? Richie's made pancakes and bacon."

Dawn stared at her, a look of vague disgust on her face, and then – much to Sharon's surprise – she shrugged.

"Okay, Mom," she said, quietly. "In the kitchen?"

"Yes. On the stove and in the microwave, honey."

She had to admit that she was officially confused. Something was bothering her eldest, whether it was school or something else, because there was no way that Dawn actually wanted to eat bacon. She could buy her wanting to eat the chocolate chip pancakes, she could buy her eating meat, but somehow she couldn't believe she'd completely abandoned her hatred of processed meat products. Reluctantly moving her husband's hand from her abdomen – their little bean definitely did not approve – she stood and walked into the kitchen, finding both her daughters getting their breakfasts. Tigger was mowing down his kibble.

"Dawnie," she asked, hand on the freezer door, "do you want me to make you soysages? I bought them special for you."

She got a slight nod in response, and she smiled at her. "Will you keep me company out here while I make 'em?"

Another nod, and she started cooking the food, kissing Mary Anne on the cheek as she passed her on her way to the dining room.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Sharon asked, crossing the room to her. She gave her a tight squeeze – well, as tight as she could manage in her condition – hoping to snap her out of her funk.

"Can I come home?"

"What?"

Dawn leaned against her, reaching her hand to touch her abdomen as the baby kicked. "You said I could always come home if California wasn't what I wanted it to be."

That was true. She had said that. She'd just never expected Stoneybrook to win out over Palo City.

"And you want to come home?"

"Yeah," she whispered, pressing herself closer to her. "I want to come home and I want to stay home."

"Dawnie..."

"I'll finish out the year in Palo," she added. "And come home on vacations and stuff."

She sighed. "Fine. And if you really want to come home, I can talk to your father and arrange for you to move back over Christmas break."

"Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, honey," she replied, kissing the top of her head. "Can you let go?"

"I'm _hurting_ you?" Dawn pulled away as if she was on fire, and she shook her head.

"I have to check the food, that's all."

"Okay," she replied with a smile. "She seems happy. She was kicking a lot for me."

"You're her biggest sis," Sharon replied, smiling widely. "I think your brother wants to talk to you."

Indeed, Jeff was waiting in the doorway.

"Dawnnn..." he whined. "I gotta question to ask you. Mary Anne already said yes."

She desperately hoped he was referring to the name he had for the baby and not some inane practical joke. She pushed Dawn lightly in the direction of him, busying herself at the stove.

* * *

><p>"Do you like the name?" She heard him ask. "Richard said he thought the baby responded to it – I guess she was kicking a lot after I suggested it."<p>

"You came up with it?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I wanted to pick a name they'd like."

"Okay, I like it. I think it's cute."

She was surprised Jeff didn't object to his name being called cute.

She was even more surprised when he came over and hugged her, though she'd tried to hide it.

"Hi, Mom," he said, quietly. "Hey, Olivia."

She moved his hand to a different spot on her abdomen, where the baby was kicking.

"I think she likes it," she told him.

* * *

><p>"Mom said I can come home," Dawn told Mary Anne later that night, as she watched her sister knit a baby blanket.<p>

"I told you she would," she replied, smiling. "She's only ever wanted you and Jeff to be happy."

Dawn sighed. "I know."

"You okay?" Mary Anne asked her. "What's wrong?"

"I feel guilty," she admitted. "I haven't been happy in California for awhile, but I'll miss Dad and Carol and Gracie and Jeff."

"You know it doesn't have to be permanent, Dawn," she said softly. "If you aren't happy here, Mom will send you back."

"I know."

"I hope you'll be happy here," she added softly, and Dawn smiled at her. She wasn't surprised.

"Me too, sis."

"Do you like these colors?" Her sister asked her, holding the unfinished blanket out to her.

"Yeah," she replied, touching the soft material. "It's for Livvy, right?"

Her sister nodded, beaming widely. "Yeah. I'm making a bunch of stuff for her."

"It's pretty," she replied, handing it back to her. "And so soft. Perfect for a baby. She'll love anything you make her."

She could tell that her sister was uncertain. "I mean it. She'll love it. So will Mom and your dad."

That got a smile. "I know."

"Mom's okay, right?"

"Yeah. How was her appointment, anyways?"

Dawn smiled widely, thinking back to her mother's doctor's appointment. About how excited they'd (especially Richard, she had to admit) been to see the baby, how active her littlest sister had been, how the news that her mom and sister were fine had relaxed her stepfather immensely, and about how excited she'd been to get her own copy of the ultrasound photograph.

"Kinda fun," she replied. "Like seeing our sister was cool – she kicked the whole time. I think Mom's doctor was bugging her."

Mary Anne giggled. "She's just a little show off."

She had to agree. "Mom said that she knows that Jeff and I are here and that's why she's all active, because she's showing off for her other sister and her brother."

"Maybe she wants to play soccer like Jeff," Mary Anne suggested. "She certainly kicks hard enough."

"Don't put ideas in his head. He'd be totally into it."

"That would make Mom and Dad happy," she said. "I think."

"I'm sure my dad and Carol would _love_ to have Mom and Richard having their own version of the time Jeff insisted on taking Gracie to a Galaxy game. At six months old. Especially since Mom found it hysterical when I told her how badly it went."

She smirked. Mary Anne shook her head.

"Probably not," she admitted. "Where are they, anyways?"

"Mom told Jeff she'd take him and the Pike boys to the movies. I think Richard went along for back up."

"Mom needs back up for that," Mary Anne said, shuddering. "I can't believe she agreed to that. Can she even tell the triplets apart?"

Dawn thought, then she shook her head. "I don't think so." She burst into laughter. "I really don't think she can."

"Poor Mom. Hopefully they don't figure that out."

"I think that your dad's there to make sure they don't do anything stupid."

Dawn still worried about her mom, but she knew Richard would always take care of her. He'd been doing so since they'd first moved from California, after all.

"You miss her, don't you?"

"I miss all of you."

"I know."

"But, yeah," she answered. "I miss her a lot."

She let Mary Anne hug her, sighing loudly.

"She misses you too, sis. I know she does."

"I hate this."

"I know."

"I miss you guys so much," Dawn admitted in a choked whisper. "That's why I want to come back."

"You're going to."

"I know," she whispered, sniffling. "Sometimes I wish I hadn't left. I don't think I would have if it hadn't been for Mrs. Winslow being sick."

"I know."

"Palo is such a mess. I hate it."

"I know you do."

"But I feel bad for hating it because my dad and my stepmother and brother and sister live there," she continued. "It isn't enough."

"I know."

"I don't know what I'm going to do," she admitted.

"I think that's okay."

"You do?"

"Yeah," Mary Anne said, squeezing her tightly. "I do."

"Okay," she murmured.

"You don't have to decide now, anyways. Let's just enjoy thanksgiving break?"

"Okay," she whispered.

"Want to watch TV?"

"Okay," she answered. "Let's watch a Christmas special."

Dawn settled in beside her sister, letting the television distract her from her thoughts. It was only Thanksgiving, after all.

She could worry when she got back to California.


End file.
